In the art of cargo loading and unloading ramps for motor vehicles, such as delivery trucks, in particular, there is an ever present need for providing a ramp which is lightweight, durable and easy to manipulate when moving the ramp between a stored position on the motor vehicle and a working position for loading or unloading cargo. In order to provide a ramp with a sufficiently shallow slope in its working position, folding ramps have been developed wherein the ramp is constructed to have at least two ramp sections interconnected by a hinge joint. However, when this type of ramp is provided, it is necessary to also provide intermediate support structure generally at the hinge joint so that the hingedly interconnected ramp sections are properly supported in their working positions.
Moreover, it is also important that the intermediate support structure be movable to a retracted position out of the way when the ramp is moved to its stored position. However, this support structure must also be suitably latched in its working position to minimize the chance of collapse when the ramp is in use. It is to provide the above-mentioned desiderata in cargo vehicle loading and unloading ramps, as well as other features, that the present invention has been developed.